CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The statewide average precipitation in
Illinois for February was 3.39 inches, 1.46 inches above normal. This ranks as
the tenth wettest February since statewide records began in 1895, according to
State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey (http://www.isws.illinois.edu).

The highest monthly
precipitation total in Illinois was 7.05 inches in Paris. Precipitation
includes rainfall and the water content of any snow (and freezing rain, sleet, and
snow pellets, as was the case in February).

Snowfall was above
normal in February across much of Illinois thanks to the February 1–2 winter
storm. Snowfall totals for the month ranged from just under 4.5 inches in
southeastern Illinois to over 20 inches across much of northern Illinois. The
highest February snowfall total in Illinois was 30.5 inches in Spring Grove.

Chicago had their
snowiest February on record with 29.0 inches. Rockford has their fifth snowiest
February on record with 20.2 inches. Peoria had their second snowiest February on
record with 20.9 inches, while Springfield had their fourth snowiest with 16.5
inches.

The statewide average
temperature in Illinois for February was 29.5 degrees, 0.7 degrees below
normal. The highest temperature for February in Illinois was 78 degrees in
Waterloo on February 21. The lowest temperature for February was -22 degrees in
Elizabeth on February 10.

The Illinois State Water
Survey at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a division of the
Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability, is the primary agency in Illinois
concerned with water and atmospheric resources.